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The Temptation to Finesse Is Sometimes Worth Resisting

Thursday's column featured a deal from the big game at the Regency Whist Club, 15 East 67th Street, in Manhattan. The diagramed layout occurred two deals later. The four players, who live in New York City, are national champions, and three have world championship medals. Sitting West was Mike Moss. He opened with three clubs because he did not have available a weak two-bid in that suit and the vulnerability was favorable. After two passes, Sam Lev, South, balanced with three no-trump, hoping his partner, Boris Koytchou, would table some useful cards.

A club lead (except the ace) would have defeated the contract. But West was afraid that the club king would be South's ninth trick. If West had led a red suit, declarer would have had an easy ride to one spade, three hearts and five diamonds. But West guessed to start with the spade seven, declarer capturing East's queen with his ace.

Many players would immediately take the heart finesse, then probably complain about their bad luck when they finished down four. East would win with his heart king and shift to the club nine. West would win with his club jack and play a spade to his partner's king. A second club through South would give the defenders one spade, one heart and six clubs.

Lev realized that the heart finesse could wait. He returned his spade four, covered by the five, ten and king. East switched to the club nine, West winning with his jack to give this position:

When West led back the heart seven, declarer won with dummy's ace and ran the spade six. Now he had nine tricks: three spades, one heart and five diamonds.

Although it would have been an error, it was a pity that East, Jeff Westheimer, did not cover dummy's spade six with his nine. South would have won with his jack and cashed the spade three. How often does the trey beat the deuce on the fourth round of a suit?